keeping up

Around this time of year, I always get a little frustrated about the amount of expectations placed upon us creative folk. Not that I can't rise to the occasion - shop until I can no longer stand, decorate a beautiful tree, morph into a professional gift wrapper, and sprinkle holiday goodness all over the house while holding a perfectly-crafted holiday martini in my hand. I must admit, Instagram and Pinterest have completely done me in to the point where I feel like I almost can't keep up. The professional bloggers I follow post gorgeous images of the fresh, new pieces they're using to decorate with for the holidays, all while I'm struggling to find a moment just to assemble our artificial tree. 

What I'm getting at is this: Does the illustrious imagery of social media make us feel bad about ourselves, like we're not putting enough creative content into the social atmosphere? How am I supposed to handle the holiday hustle and bustle gracefully, a midst working the full-time design job I love and spending spare time with the people I love? There must be a balance. Well this year instead of running myself crazy, I decided to stretch myself creatively by simply decorating with what I have and being grateful for it.  This year I made a few small changes (instead of trying to keep up with the Jones') and I'm so glad that I did.

This year I decided to go with a monochromatic look and use my chandelier crystals along with the feather ornaments that I made last year. The CB2 orbs served a different purpose this year...

I wanted to try something different and showcase a few of the toys that Brandon has been acquiring from his loot crates and Mr. Lovenstein art pieces. Above is a Mr. Lovenstein ninja star original.

Game of thrones, anyone?

And how would a Christmas decor transformation be complete without a baby Transformer?

So long story short... this year I'm doing what I can with what I have. I mean isn't that what the holidays are supposed to be about? Being grateful for who and what we have? I may never be able to keep up, but I love my life and I'll continue to share what I can (when time allows) right here on my little piece of the internet. :)